A GRACE COMMUNITY CHURCH DISTINCTIVE
The Role of Women Himself as the helper of Israel (Deut. 33:7; Ps.
A LTHOUGH WOMEN have traditionally ful-
filled supportive roles in serving the
church and gained their greatest joy and sense
of accomplishment from being wives and moth-
ers, the feminist movement has successfully
influenced many women to abandon these
divinely ordained roles. Unfortunately, this
movement has made headway even in the
church, creating chaos and confusion regarding
the role of women both in ministry and in the
home. Only in Scripture can God’s intended
design for women be found.
The Old Testament and Women
In the creation account of Genesis 1, God’s first
word on the subject of men and women is that
they were equally created in the image of God
(v. 27). Neither received more of the image of
God than the other. So the Bible begins with
the equality of the sexes. As persons, as spiritu-
al beings standing before God, men and women
are absolutely equal.
Despite this equality, there is in Genesis 2 a
more detailed account of the creation of the
two human beings that reveals differences in
their God-given functions and responsibilities.
God did not create the man and the woman at
the same time, but rather He created Adam first
and Eve later for the specific purpose of being
Adam’s helper. Eve was equal to Adam, but she
was given the role and duty of submitting to
him. Although the word “helper” carries very
positive connotations—even being used of God
The Distinctives series articulates key biblical and
theological convictions of Grace Community Church.
Jesus and Women
33:20)—it still describes someone in a relation- In the midst of the Greek, Roman, and Jewish
ship of service to another. The responsibility of
wives to submit to their husbands, then, was
part of the plan from creation, even before the
cultures, which viewed women almost on the
level of possessions, Jesus showed love and
respect for women. Though Jewish rabbis did
curse. The first books of the Bible establish not teach women and the Jewish Talmud said it
both the equality of men and women and also was better to burn the Torah than to teach it to
the support role of the wife (see Exod. 21:15,
17, 28–31; Num. 5:19–20, 29; 6:2; 30:1–16). Without making one inferior to the
Adam and Eve’s disobedience to God’s com- other, God calls upon both men and
mand resulted in certain consequences (Gen. women to fulfill the roles and
3:16–19). For the woman, God pronounced a
curse that included multiplied pain in childbirth
responsibilities specifically
designed for them.
and tension in the authority-submission rela-
tionship of husband and wife. Genesis 3:16 says
a woman, Jesus never took the position that
the woman’s “desire” will be for her husband
women, by their very nature, could not under-
but he shall “rule” over her. In Genesis 4:7 the
stand spiritual or theological truth. He not only
author uses the same word “desire” to mean
included them in His audiences but also used
“excessive control over.” Thus, the curse in
illustrations and images that would be familiar
Genesis 3:16 refers to a new desire on the part
to them (Matt. 13:33; 22:1–2; 24:41; Luke
of the woman to exercise control over her hus-
15:8–10) and specifically applied His teaching
band—but he will in fact oppressively rule and
to them (Matt. 10:34ff.). To the Samaritan
exert authority over her. The result of the Fall
woman at the well (John 4), He revealed that
on marriage through history has been an ongo-
He was the Messiah and discussed with her top-
ing struggle between the sexes, with women
ics such as eternal life and the nature of true
seeking control and men seeking dominance.
worship. He also taught Mary and, when
Throughout the Old Testament, women were admonished by Martha, pointed out the priori-
active in the religious life of Israel, but general- ty of learning spiritual truth even over “wom-
ly they were not leaders. Women like Deborah anly” responsibilities like serving guests in one’s
(Judges 4) were clearly the exception and not home (Luke 10:38).
the rule. There was no woman with an on-
Although men in Jesus’ day normally would not
going prophetic ministry. No woman was a
allow women to count change into their hands
priest. No queen ever ruled Israel. No woman
for fear of physical contact, Jesus touched
wrote an Old Testament (or New Testament)
women to heal them and allowed women to
book. Isaiah 3:12 indicates that God allowed
touch Him (Luke 13:10ff.; Mark 5:25ff.). Jesus
women to rule as part of His judgment on the
even allowed a small group of women to travel
sinning nation.
with Him and His disciples (Luke 8:1–3), an
unprecedented happening at that time. After
His resurrection, Jesus appeared first to Mary
Magdalene and sent her to announce His res-
urrection to the disciples (John 20:1–18),
despite the fact that women were not allowed
to be witnesses in Jewish courts because they
were considered liars.
In Jesus’ treatment of women, He raised their
station of life and He showed them compassion
and respect in a way they had never known.
This demonstrated their equality. At the same
time, however, Jesus still did not exalt women
to a place of leadership over men.
The Epistles and Women
In the Epistles, the two principles of equality
and submission for women exist side by side.
Galatians 3:28 points to the equality, indicating
that the way of salvation is the same for both
men and women and that they are members of
equal standing in the body of Christ. It does
not, however, eradicate all differences in
responsibilities for men and women, for this
passage does not cover every aspect of God’s
design for male and female. In addition, there
are many other passages that make distinctions
between what God desires of men and what
He desires of women, especially within family
and within the church.
The Family
While Christian marriage is to involve mutual
love and submission between two believers
(Eph. 5:21), four passages in the New
Testament expressly give to wives the responsi-
bility to submit to their husbands (Eph. 5:22;
Col. 3:18; Titus 2:5; 1 Pet. 3:1). This volun-
tary submission of one equal to another is an
expression of love for God and a desire to fol-
low His design as revealed in His Word. It is
never pictured as demeaning or in any way
diminishing the wife’s equality. Rather the hus-
band is called to love his wife sacrificially as
Christ loved the church (Eph. 5:25) and to
serve as the leader in a relationship of two
equals.
While husbands and fathers have been given
the primary responsibility for the leadership of
their children (Eph. 6:4; Col. 3:21; 1 Tim.
3:4–5), wives and mothers are urged to be
“workers at home” (Titus 2:5), meaning man-
agers of the household. Their home and their
children are to be their priority, in contrast to
the world’s emphasis today on careers and full-
time jobs for women outside the home.
The Church
From the very beginning, women fulfilled a
vital role in the Christian church (Acts
1:12–14; 9:36–42; 16:13–15; 17:1–4, 10–12;
18:1–2, 18, 24–28; Rom. 16; 1 Cor. 16:19; 2
Tim. 1:5; 4:19), but not one of leadership. The
apostles were all men; the chief missionary
activity was done by men; the writing of the
New Testament was the work of men; and
leadership in the churches was entrusted to
men.
Although the Apostle Paul respected women
and worked side by side with them for the fur-
therance of the gospel (Rom. 16; Phil. 4:3), he
appointed no female elders or pastors. In his
letters, he urged that men were to be the leaders
in the church and that women were not to
teach or exercise authority over men (1 Tim.
2:12). Therefore, although women are spiritual
equals with men and the ministry of women is
essential to the body of Christ, women are
excluded from leadership over men in the
church.
Men and women stand as equals before God,
both bearing the image of God Himself.
However, without making one inferior to the
other, God calls upon both men and women to
fulfill the roles and responsibilities specifically
designed for them, a pattern that can be seen
even in the Godhead (1 Cor. 11:3). In fulfilling
the divinely given roles taught in the New
Testament, women are able to realize their full
potential because they are following the plan of
their own Creator and Designer. Only in obedi-
ence to Him and His design will women truly
be able, in the fullest sense, to give glory to
God.
For further study, consult John MacArthur, Different By Design:
Discovering God’s Will for Today’s Man and Woman (Wheaton:
Victor Books, 1994).
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